Special mechanisms for North–South high-speed railway project proposed

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh speaks at the meeting (Photo: tuoitre.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – Legislators reviewed the proposal and appraisal report on special mechanisms and policies, particularly those for the North–South high-speed railway project, during their sitting on December 8 afternoon, as part of the 15th National Assembly’s 10th session.

Presenting the proposal, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh stated that following the Politburo’s Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW on private economic sector development, several investors have expressed interest in investing in the North–South high-speed railway.

Currently, the Ministry of Construction is coordinating with local authorities and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to carry out compensation work, support and resettlement efforts, which must be implemented for all types of investment.

He revealed that, initially, the Government proposed special policies for the project related to site clearance, while other policies will be further reviewed and studied, with reports submitted to the competent authorities for issuance after careful assessment to ensure feasibility and balance the interests of the State, businesses, and residents.

While presenting the verification report, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the NA's Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs, agreed with the political, legal, and practical foundations in the Government’s proposal. He emphasised that adding mechanisms and policies for the project is essential as it aligns with the Party’s policy to mobilise social resources for strategic projects, promotes private investment in key infrastructure, diversifies investment forms, and enhances decentralisation with clear accountability.

However, some opinions noted that the policies proposed remain unclear and do not address the project’s pressing issues. They suggested that the competent authorities carefully review and provide guidance on the specific supplemental mechanisms and policies applicable to the project.

Regarding the mechanisms and policies for the project, the Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs noted that the NA has previously allowed the separation of land acquisition, compensation, support and resettlement of a national key project into a sub-project, as seen in Resolution No. 38/2017/QH14 for the Long Thanh International Airport project. Therefore, the government’s proposal to separate compensation, support, resettlement, and the relocation of 110 kV or higher power works for the North–South high-speed railway into a standalone subproject is considered justified.

However, it was suggested to clarify the concept of an “independent project,” make preliminary decisions on total investment, land clearance area, and completion timeline for each one, and ensure consistency and coordination to prevent resources wastefulness before the route, scope, and boundaries are finalised./.

VNA